ilyasova isn't a bad fall back guy if no batum. but i would prefer a "pure" 3 i like my players with versatility coming off the bench for matchup purposes and kleiza and jj have that locked up a nice 2/3 wilson chandler would be nice though.

i like the peitrus news, i know lots of celtic haters here, but i like the team and watch a lot of their games, and he is a fantastic 3 point shooter.

Batum cannot sign the offer sheet until July 11 but by merely agreeing to it on that date, his cap hold -- now about $5.4 million -- would increase and thereby endanger Portland's ability to make a max-contract offer to Hibbert. When Batum, or any restricted free agent, signs an offer sheet, the cap hold with his original team immediately becomes the figure that he's signed for on the new offer sheet.

So if Batum's cap hold goes from $5.4 million to something over $10 million, the Blazers would be left with somewhere around $12 million of available room.

Batum cannot sign the offer sheet until July 11 but by merely agreeing to it on that date, his cap hold -- now about $5.4 million -- would increase and thereby endanger Portland's ability to make a max-contract offer to Hibbert. When Batum, or any restricted free agent, signs an offer sheet, the cap hold with his original team immediately becomes the figure that he's signed for on the new offer sheet.

So if Batum's cap hold goes from $5.4 million to something over $10 million, the Blazers would be left with somewhere around $12 million of available room.

They're stuck between the two. The best bet of this team is they go with Hibbert, and trade for a small forward. They have a good number of assets to deal for a solid player.

Batum cannot sign the offer sheet until July 11 but by merely agreeing to it on that date, his cap hold -- now about $5.4 million -- would increase and thereby endanger Portland's ability to make a max-contract offer to Hibbert. When Batum, or any restricted free agent, signs an offer sheet, the cap hold with his original team immediately becomes the figure that he's signed for on the new offer sheet.

So if Batum's cap hold goes from $5.4 million to something over $10 million, the Blazers would be left with somewhere around $12 million of available room.

The thing that works against us is that by having "Bird Rights" on Batum, they can exceed the salary cap to match another offer and re-sign him. As long as they give their offer to Hibbert before they decide on Batum, they could get both players, regardless of their salary cap position.

Just like Beasley, I assume that Pietrus will never be a Raptor as long as BC is GM. BC was going to sign him for this season, but the medical report raised enough concern for BC to walk away from the deal. I doubt things have changed, despite his good play for Boston this season. I don't think there's really any point talking about either player, since BC didn't acquire them when he could have.

Whats the situation on W.Chandler? The nuggets have drafted the very raw Quincy Miller. They already have Gallo and Brewer.
Surely someone must be traded?

I really like Rudy Gay, but doubt he's available and at $19M per season, he's quite expensive.

Iggy ($15M) and Deng ($14M) are both several years older than Batum, plus they're only under contract for 2 more seasons. I'd much rather pay Batum $10-12M per season and hope he fulfills the potential he's shown when given the opportunity to play. Nash made Marion look like an all-world superstar SF when they played together and I think Nash would really help further Batum's development and enable him to blossom into a star while playing together on the Raptors.

Chandler is still young and making $7M per season. He'd probably be my 2nd choice after Batum.

Am I wrong to think that having to wait ten fucking days after free agency to sign someone is passed ridiculous?

Not a fan either, but I think it gives teams time and thought to go after a number of players and share their pitch. Maybe they weren't interested in a player before, but possibly within those days, things changed, and so has their thought process...

Batum cannot sign the offer sheet until July 11 but by merely agreeing to it on that date, his cap hold -- now about $5.4 million -- would increase and thereby endanger Portland's ability to make a max-contract offer to Hibbert. When Batum, or any restricted free agent, signs an offer sheet, the cap hold with his original team immediately becomes the figure that he's signed for on the new offer sheet.

So if Batum's cap hold goes from $5.4 million to something over $10 million, the Blazers would be left with somewhere around $12 million of available room.

Thank you for that information.

Batum wants to get a contract done asap so he can play for France.

Whatever team makes the offer, you can bet it will be at 12:01am July 11th.

That just might make him obtainable as the max offer for Hibbert is no longer able to be offered and he could end up signing the offer sheet with the other team that offered the max contract.

Or in the worst case for Portland they offer max deal for hibbert which is matched by IND after renouncing Batum.

As for Phoenix, a return to the Suns continues to appear unlikely. They are not among the teams aggressively pursuing him in the opening days of free agency and, according to the Arizona Republic, have instead been focusing on free agents like Michael Beasley and Eric Gordon.

Howard saga
LeBron James has long since passed the torch to Dwight Howard when it comes to poor public relations and the Orlando center was back at it again recently. A source close to the situation confirmed reports that Howard requested a trade yet again Friday, telling new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan that he wanted out during a meeting in Los Angeles. The source said the Magic open for business when it comes to trade calls now, and various reports indicate talks are heating up with the Hawks, Lakers and Nets.

Howard, to review, waffled his way up to the March 15 trade deadline before deciding to opt-in to the final year of his contract on the final day while claiming his "loyalty" to the organization played a part in the decision. The twists and turns of his overly dramatic story have become difficult to keep track of, almost all of them hurting the image of a player who was once seen as one of the league's most endearing young talents.

But rest assured, all indications are that he should finally be traded soon enough.

Celtics getting Green-er?
With 36-year-old Kevin Garnett already set to return to Boston on a three-year deal and the possibility remaining that 36-year-old Ray Allen joins him, one might think that this will be the same old Celtics.

But a source close to 25-year-old forward Jeff Green said the odds of him also returning to Beantown are high, thanks in large part to his affinity for coach Doc Rivers and the Celtics' stance that he's an important part of their future. Green, who missed all of last season due to a heart condition that was discovered in December and required surgery to repair the aneurysm on Jan. 12, is fully healthy again and ready to get on with his career. Because nine members of last season's Celtics became unrestricted free agents, Green's situation is one of the many being discussed by the team and may take some time to resolve.

Allen back to Boston, too?
As for Allen, a Celtics source said re-signing him is their top priority. They have competition, though, as Allen is known to be among Miami's top targets and is also reportedly being pursued by the Grizzlies, Suns and the Clippers. Among the top two targets, the Heat can offer only a three-year, $9 million contract (the team's mini mid-level exception) while the Celtics, according to ESPN.com, are willing to give Allen a two-year, $12 million deal.

Allen has plenty of shooting guard competition in the unrestricted free agent ranks, chief among them Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford, O.J. Mayo and Nick Young. A source close to Crawford said he is in talks with the Clippers, Celtics, Wolves, Suns and 76ers. The source added that Crawford has had the most extensive talks with the Clippers so far, and he is planning a visit to Los Angeles this week.

Around the NBA

Denver elected to keep its point-guard tandem of Ty Lawson and Andre Miller together.
Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images• Sources confirmed that point guard Andre Miller agreed to a three-year deal to return to the Nuggets. Miller was widely expected to head elsewhere, and now it makes some sense as to why the Nuggets passed on Kentucky point guard Marquis Teague in Thursday's draft. Despite a source close to the Nuggets saying that Teague was high on their radar, they took French shooting guard Evans Fournier with the 20th pick. The potent Ty Lawson-Miller one-two punch, in other words, will remain together after all.

• A source confirmed that restricted free agent forward Lavoy Allen agreed to return to Philadelphia on a two-year, $6 million deal. Both years, the source said, are guaranteed.

• While Gordon is looking for a maximum salary deal from one of his many suitors, a source close to the Hornets said the team is likely to match any such deal if and when he lands it. Gordon is reportedly being pursued by Brooklyn, Indiana, Houston, Phoenix and Portland.

• Sources confirmed that Bulls restricted free agent center Omer Asik agreed to sign a three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet with the Rockets when the free agency moratorium lifts on July 11. It's hefty money for the 7-footer who averaged 3.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in his second season, but Houston -- which traded center Samuel Dalembert to Milwaukee last week -- apparently wants to ensure that it's not left without a big man if the Howard push doesn't pay off. The Bulls will have three days to match starting July 11.

• First it was the Perry Jones "gamble" for Oklahoma City, and now Hasheem Thabeet?

A source said Thabeet, who is an unrestricted free agent, visited the Thunder on Sunday and could end up signing with Oklahoma City. Barring an unexpected return to Portland, Houston or Memphis, the 7-3 center who was taken No. 2 by Memphis in 2009 will be playing for his fourth team.

As for Jones, the Baylor forward whose knee issues played a part in his slide to No. 28, could turn out to be a versatile and valuable big man. And the same could be the case with Thabeet, as well. The Thunder's roster depth and culture would put these young players in the safest of environments so that maybe, just maybe, they reach their potential.

• A source close to unrestricted free agent point guard Goran Dragic said the Raptors, Suns, Nets, Hornets, Lakers and Rockets have all expressed interest thus far. The Rockets, for whom Dragic shined in the second half of last season, are said to be coming on the strongest. Yet Dragic, according to the source, has a serious interest in being part of a winning team and will consider that factor as much as the money. The source made it clear, however, that Dragic expects to be a starter for whichever team he ultimately signs with.It's not known whether he would return to the Rockets if they can't find a new home for point guard Kyle Lowry, who has been vocal in his displeasure for head coach Kevin McHale and clearly wants out. Dragic has not taken any visits yet and is expected to return from Europe on Monday.

• A source said Phoenix and Detroit are among those pursuing small forward Michael Beasley. Minnesota declined to offer the former No. 2 pick a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

• For all the time spent here on the Nash courting, Deron Williams will take center stage again Monday when the unrestricted free agent will reportedly visit with the incumbent Nets as well as the Mavericks.

I think Asik is a really solid player, but 15 million on a third year? Damn.

Good explanation on why Houston did it that way

While the Bulls would love to pay every talented player on the roster what he deserves, the salary cap doesn’t always allow for that.

That’s why the Houston Rockets’ three-year, $24.3 million dollar offer sheet that center Omer Asik has verbally agreed to will be so hard for the Bulls to match. General manager Gar Forman has said all along that he would match any offer for Asik, that his decisions would be based on basketball, not finances, but that might change thanks to the odd nature of this contract, constructed as a third-year “poison pill” deal thanks to the Gilbert Arenas provision in the new CBA.

In the first year of the deal, Asik would make $5 million, followed by about $5.2 million in year two. That third year would pay the center over $14 million, however, which is what could force the team to balk. The loophole here is that the team offering the deal is allowed to average the cost over the life of the contract—$8 million a season in this case—but the team matching the deal has to count actual numbers against their cap. Chicago would be fine in years one and two, but year three would destroy them as repeat luxury tax offenders, which they could very well be by 2015.

I think because we have a potential to 22 million in cap space and 7 million TPE we are going to mentioned as interested in every single player outside of Dwight Howard that gets named. Sports writers are intellectually lazy it seems